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POLICY STATEMENT
Updated Recommendations on the Use
of Meningococcal Vaccines
abstract
COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Since the last policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) concerning meningococcal vaccine was published in 2011, 2 meningococcal conjugate vaccines have been licensed for use in infants (HibMenCY-TT and MenACWY-CRM). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published new recommendations, “Prevention and Control of
Meningococcal Disease: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices,” which have been endorsed by the AAP. However,
the CDC recommendations were published before licensure of MenACWYCRM for infant use. This policy statement updates the AAP recommendations for use of meningococcal vaccines in children and adolescents. A
more comprehensive review of background and technical information can
be found in the CDC publication. Pediatrics 2014;134:400–403
Neisseria meningitidis is responsible for a spectrum of infections, such
as meningitis, bacteremia, and pneumonia, and may be associated with
long-term sequelae and death. Five serogroups of N. meningitidis (A, B, C,
W, and Y) are responsible for the vast majority of disease in children and
adults. Specific meningococcal serogroups appear to cause a preponderance of disease in certain age groups and geographic areas. For
example, in the United States, N. meningitidis serogroup B is predominant in children younger than age 5 years, whereas serogroups
C and Y are responsible for the majority of cases in adolescents.
N. meningitidis serogroup A is hyperendemic in sub-Saharan Africa (the
so-called “meningitis” belt) but it is rarely diagnosed in the United States.
KEY WORDS
meningococcus, meningococcal vaccine, adolescent vaccines,
immunization schedule
ABBREVIATIONS
AAP—American Academy of Pediatrics
CDC—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hib—Haemophilus influenzae type b
This document is copyrighted and is property of the American
Academy of Pediatrics and its Board of Directors. All authors
have filed conflict of interest statements with the American
Academy of Pediatrics. Any conflicts have been resolved through
a process approved by the Board of Directors. The American
Academy of Pediatrics has neither solicited nor accepted any
commercial involvement in the development of the content of
this publication.
Policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics
benefit from expertise and resources of liaisons and internal
(AAP) and external reviewers. However, policy statements from
the American Academy of Pediatrics may not reflect the views of
the liaisons or the organizations or government agencies that
they represent.
The guidance in this report does not indicate an exclusive
course of treatment or serve as a standard of medical care.
Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be
appropriate.
All policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics
automatically expire 5 years after publication unless reaffirmed,
revised, or retired at or before that time.
For unknown reasons, the incidence of meningococcal disease has decreased in the United States since the late 1990s. The decrease started
before the availability of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine and recommendations for routine meningococcal vaccine use in adolescents.
Declines in incidence have occurred in all serogroups, including
serogroup B, which is currently not included in any meningococcal
vaccine licensed in the United States.
In the United States, 4 licensed meningococcal vaccines are available. One is
a quadrivalent (A, C, W-135, Y) polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4 [Menomune,
Sanofi Pasteur, Inc, Swiftwater, PA]). There are 2 quadrivalent conjugate
vaccines (A, C, W, Y) (MenACWY-D [Menactra, Sanofi Pasteur, Inc] and
MenACWY-CRM [Menveo, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc, Cambridge,
MA]), and 1 bivalent (C; Y) conjugate vaccine (HibMenCY-TT [MenHibrix,
GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Research Triangle Park, NC]), which is also
approved as a vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Table 1).
400
www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2014-1383
doi:10.1542/peds.2014-1383
Accepted for publication May 15, 2014
PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online, 1098-4275).
Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
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FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
TABLE 1 Licensed Meningococcal Vaccines: United States, 1981–2013
Formulation
a
MPSV4
MenACWY-Db
MenACWY-Db
MenACWY-Db
MenACWY-CRMc
MenACWY-CRMc
MenACWY-CRMc
Hib-MenCY-TTd
Type
Trade Name
Manufacturer
Licensed (y)
Age Group
Dose(s)
Polysaccharide
Conjugate
Conjugate
Conjugate
Conjugate
Conjugate
Conjugate
Conjugate
Menomune
Menactra
Menactra
Menactra
Menveo
Menveo
Menveo
MenHibrix
Sanofi Pasteur
Sanofi Pasteur
Sanofi Pasteur
Sanofi Pasteur
Novartis
Novartis
Novartis
GlaxoSmithKline
1981
2005
2007
2011
2010
2011
2013
2012
≥2 y
11 to 55 y
2 to 10 y
9 to 23 mo
11 to 55 y
2 to 10 y
2 mo to 2 y
6 wk to 18 mo
Single dose
Single dose
Single dose
2-dose series
Single dose
Single dose
4-dose series
4-dose series
Serogroups
A, C, W, and
A, C, W, and
A, C, W, and
A, C, W, and
A, C, W, and
A, C, W, and
A, C, W, and
C and Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
a
Package insert available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/Approvedproducts/UCM308370.pdf
Package insert available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/Approvedproducts/UCM131170.pdf
Package insert available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/Approvedproducts/UCM201349.pdf
d
Package insert available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/Approvedproducts/UCM308577.pdf
b
c
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
Meningococcal vaccines are recommended
routinely for adolescents and for selected
groups of children at increased or persistent risk for invasive meningococcal
disease (Table 2). There are 2 types of
meningococcal vaccines: (1) polysaccharide and (2) conjugated polysaccharide
vaccines. Conjugated polysaccharide vaccines use a T-cell–dependent mechanism
that results in a more robust primary
immune response and immunologic
memory and boosting potential, as compared with polysaccharide-only vaccines
that use a T-cell independent mechanism.
The new indications and newly licensed
vaccines address immunization of younger
children at increased risk for meningococcal disease.
This document provides a complete
update of policy recommendations of
the American Academy of Pediatrics
for children and adolescents.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The following are meningococcal vaccination recommendations (Table 3):
1. For the pediatric population, an ageappropriate meningococcal conjugate
vaccine is preferred to the meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine, unless
there is a contraindication for the
meningococcal conjugate vaccine.
2. Adolescents should be routinely
immunized at 11 to 12 years of
age and given a booster dose at
16 years of age with a quadrivalent
conjugated meningococcal vaccine.
3. Adolescents who received their first
dose at age 13 to 15 years should
receive a booster at age 16 to 18
years at least 8 weeks or up to 5
years after their first dose.
4. Adolescents who receive their first
dose of meningococcal conjugate
vaccine at or after 16 years of
age do not need a booster dose.
5. Unvaccinated or previously vaccinated first-year college students
through age 21 years living in residence halls who received their last
dose before their 16th birthday (ie,
incompletely vaccinated) should receive a single dose of quadrivalent
meningococcal conjugate vaccine.
6. For individuals who are at increased
risk for invasive meningococcal disease because of persistent complement (eg, C3, C5–C9, properdin,
factor H, or factor D) deficiency or
functional or anatomic asplenia, a 2dose primary series (MenACWY-D or
MenACWY-CRM) is administered to
individuals 2 to 55 years of age, and
a 4-dose primary series (MenACWYCRM or Hib-MenCY-TT) is administered to children 2 to 18 months of
age. MenACWY-D can be administered
as a 2-dose series to infants 9 to 23
months of age with persistent complement component deficiency, and in
infants up to 23 months of age after
the fourth dose of the primary pneu-
mococcal conjugate vaccine has been
given in children who have functional
or anatomic asplenia.
7. HIV infection is not an indication for
routine MenACWY immunization before
11 years of age. However, HIV-infected
children 11 years of age or older
should be given a 2-dose primary series 8 to 12 weeks apart (MenACWY-D
or MenACWY-CRM) with a single booster dose, consistent with recommendations for healthy adolescents.
8. For children older than age 2 years
who have persistent risk for meningococcal disease because of complement
component deficiency or asplenia,
their primary series should include 2
doses of quadrivalent meningococcal
conjugate vaccine 8 to 12 weeks apart
(MenACWY-D or MenACWY-CRM).
9. For children 2 months to 6 years of
age at persistent risk for meningococcal disease (Table 2), a booster dose
should be given 3 years after the primary series and every 5 years thereafter. For children and adolescents
7 years or older at persistent risk
for meningococcal disease (Table 2)
TABLE 2 Children at Increased Risk for
Meningococcal Disease
Persistent complement component deficiencies
(C3, C5–C9, properdin, factor D, and factor H)
Functional or anatomic asplenia
Travel to or reside in an area with hyperendemic
or epidemic meningococcal disease
Residence in a community with a meningococcal
outbreak
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401
TABLE 3 Recommended Meningococcal Vaccines by Age Group
Age Group
2 mo to 10 y
Vaccine
Routine Recommendation
a
MCV4-D (Menactra, Sanofi)
a
High-risk only
High-risk onlyb
High-risk onlyc
Healthy and high-risk
Primary
• Age 9 to 23 mo: 2-dose series with 12 weeks between doses
• Age 2 to 10 y: 1 dose
Booster (for persons who remain at risk)
• First booster 3 y after primary series for children who received primary
series before age <7 y, then every 5 y
• Every 5 y for children who received primary series after 7th birthday
Primary
• Age 2 to 6 mo: 4 doses at 2, 4, 6, and 12 mo
• Age 7 to 23 mo: 2 doses should be given, with the 2nd dose given in the 2nd
year of life
• Age 2 to 10 y: 1 dose
Booster (for persons who remain at risk)
• First booster 3 y after primary series for children who received primary
series before age <7 y, then every 5 y
• Every 5 y for children who received primary series after 7th birthday
Primary
• Age 2 to 18 mo: 4-dose series with doses at 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 mo
Booster (for persons who remain at risk)
• Use MCV4-D or MCV4-CRM (see above)
Primary: healthy
Healthy and high risk
• Age 11 to 15 y: 1-dose primary series with booster at 16 to 21 y
• Age 16 to 21 y: 1 dose, no booster necessary
Booster: healthy
• Age 16 to 21 y: 1 dose
Primary: high risk
• 2-dose primary series for those who have asplenia, HIV infection,
or persistent compliment component deficiency
Booster (for persons who remain at risk)
• First booster 3 y after primary series for children who received primary
series before age <7 y, then every 5 y
• Every 5 y for children who received primary series after 7th birthday
Primary: healthy
MCV4-CRM (Menveo, Novartis)
HibMenCY-TT (MenHibrix, GSK)
11 to 21 y
MCV4-ACWY-D (Menactra,
Sanofi)
MCV4-ACWY-CRM (Menveo,
Novartis)
Dosing Schedule
• Age 11 to 15 y: 1-dose primary series with booster at 16 to 21 y
• Age 16 to 21 y: 1 dose, no booster necessary
Booster: healthy
• Age 16 to 21 y: 1 dose
Primary: high risk
• 2-dose primary series for those who have asplenia, HIV infection,
or persistent compliment component deficiency
Booster (for persons who remain at risk)
• First booster 3 y after primary series for children who received
primary series before age <7 y, then every 5 y
• Every 5 y for children who received primary series after 7th birthday
HibMenCY-TT (MenHibrix,
GlaxoSmithKline)
Not approved for this
age group
a
For children who have complement component deficiency or functional or anatomic asplenia or who are part of a community or organizational outbreak or who are traveling
internationally to a region with hyperendemic or endemic meningococcal disease. For infants receiving the vaccine before travel, the 2 doses may be administered as early as 8 weeks
apart. Infants who have functional or anatomic asplenia should wait until 2 years of age to prevent immune interference with PCV13.
b
For children who have complement component deficiency or functional or anatomic asplenia, or who are part of a community or organizational outbreak or who are traveling
internationally to a region with hyperendemic or endemic meningococcal disease.
c
For children who have complement component deficiency or functional or anatomic asplenia, or who are part of a community or organizational outbreak. Hib-MenCY-TT is not
recommended for use in children who are traveling internationally to a region with hyperendemic or endemic meningococcal disease. MCV4 should be used as booster doses for children
who are given a primary series with Hib-MenCY-TT.
whose initial meningococcal vaccination was administered at 7 years
or older, boosters of quadrivalent
meningococcal conjugate should be
repeated every 5 years (Table 4).
402
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Routine vaccination against meningococcal
disease is not recommended for healthy
children 2 months to 10 years of age
unless they are at increased or persistent
risk for meningococcal disease (Table 2).
Hib-MenCY-TT (MenHibrix) may be administered to any infant for routine vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type
b (Hib). If Hib-MenCY-TT is used for
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FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
TABLE 4 Schedule for Booster Doses in
Individuals Who Have Persistent
Increased Risk for Invasive
Meningococcal Disease
Age at Last
MCV4 Dose
Duration Until Next
Booster Dose
2 mo to 6 y
>6 y
3 ya
5y
a
If last dose was HibMenCY-TT, the booster dose should
be MenACWY-D or MenACWY-CRM.
protection against meningococcal disease, it should be used for all 4 doses of
Hib vaccine, and other Hib-containing
vaccines should not be used.
Limited data suggest that different
conjugate vaccine products can be
used interchangeably. If the same vaccine product used for the first dose is
not available or if it is not known which
vaccine product was used previously,
administration of the vaccine should
not be deferred if indicated, and any
licensed age-appropriate conjugate
vaccine can be administered.
The meningococcal vaccine is not routinely recommended for HIV-infected
children until they reach 11 years of
age, similar to other non–HIV-infected
adolescents. HIV-infected children should
receive 2 doses as their primary series.
A primary series consisting of 2 or more
doses (depending on the age of the child)
is indicated for children who have
asplenia (reduced antibody response after a single primary dose) and complement component deficiency (higher
antibody levels are needed for bacterial
clearance mechanisms, such as opsonization, and more rapid antibody waning).1
For travelers to areas with high
meningococcal endemicity (parts of
sub-Saharan Africa [the so-called “meningitis belt”] or the Hajj in Saudi Arabia), an age-appropriate meningococcal
vaccine that includes serogroups A and
W is indicated. Periodically, there may be
other areas in the world with meningococcal outbreaks (eg, serogroup W in
Chile). Travelers need to monitor this
possibility. Completion of the entire
series is preferred before travel as follows: (1) for children <9 months of age:
2, 4, and 6 months of age (with booster at
12 to 18 months of age) with MenACWYCRM; (2) for children ≥9 months to
23 months of age: 2 doses separated
by at least 8 weeks (MenACWY-D) or 2
doses separated by at least 3 months
(Menveo); and (3) for people >24 months
of age: a single dose (MenACWY-D or
MenACWY-CRM).
Pregnancy and breastfeeding do not
preclude vaccination with MenACWY
(Menactra or Menveo) or MPSV4
(Menomune) if indicated.
PRECAUTIONS AND
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Vaccination with any meningococcal vaccine is contraindicated in people known
to have a severe allergic reaction to
any component of the vaccine. Conjugate
vaccines that contain diphtheria or tetanus toxoid are contraindicated in people
who have severe allergic reactions to
these toxoids. A history of Guillain-Barré
syndrome is not a contraindication or
precaution for meningococcal vaccination. A previous temporal relationship
between MenACWY-D and Guillain-Barré
syndrome was not determined to be
causally related. All currently licensed
meningococcal vaccines are inactivated.
They can be administered to people
who are immunosuppressed as a result of disease or medication. However,
the response to meningococcal vaccine
in immunosuppressed children may
be less than optimal.
COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS
DISEASES, 2013–2014
Michael T. Brady, MD, FAAP, Chairperson – Red
Book Associate Editor
Carrie L. Byington, MD, FAAP
H. Dele Davies, MD, FAAP
Kathryn M. Edwards, MD, FAAP
Mary Anne Jackson, MD, FAAP – Red Book Associate Editor
Yvonne A. Maldonado, MD, FAAP
Dennis L. Murray, MD, FAAP
Walter A. Orenstein, MD, FAAP
Mobeen H. Rathore, MD, FAAP
Mark H. Sawyer, MD, FAAP
Gordon E. Schutze, MD, FAAP
Rodney E. Willoughby, MD, FAAP
Theoklis E. Zaoutis, MD, FAAP
EX OFFICIO
Henry H. Bernstein, DO, FAAP – Red Book Online
Associate Editor
David W. Kimberlin, MD, FAAP – Red Book Editor
Sarah S. Long, MD, FAAP – Red Book Associate Editor
H. Cody Meissner, MD, FAAP – Visual Red Book
Associate Editor
LIAISONS
Marc A. Fischer, MD, FAAP – Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Bruce G. Gellin, MD – National Vaccine Program
Office
Richard L. Gorman, MD, FAAP – National Institutes of Health
Lucia H. Lee, MD, FAAP – US Food and Drug
Administration
R. Douglas Pratt, MD – US Food and Drug Administration
Jennifer S. Read, MD, MS, MPH, DTM&H, FAAP
– US Food and Drug Administration
Joan L. Robinson, MD – Canadian Pediatric
Society
Marco Aurelio Palazzi Safadi, MD – Sociedad
Latinoamericana de Infectologia Pediatrica
Jane F. Seward, MBBS, MPH, FAAP – Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
Jeffrey R. Starke, MD, FAAP – American Thoracic
Society
Geoffrey R. Simon, MD, FAAP – Committee on
Practice Ambulatory Medicine
Tina Q. Tan, MD, FAAP – Pediatric Infectious
Diseases Society
STAFF
Jennifer M. Frantz, MPH
REFERENCES
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prevention and control of meningococcal
disease: recommendations of the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP). MMWR Recomm Rep. 2013;22:62(RR2):1–28
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Updated Recommendations on the Use of Meningococcal Vaccines
COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Pediatrics 2014;134;400; originally published online July 28, 2014;
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2014-1383
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Updated Recommendations on the Use of Meningococcal Vaccines
COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Pediatrics 2014;134;400; originally published online July 28, 2014;
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2014-1383
The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is
located on the World Wide Web at:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/2/400.full.html
PEDIATRICS is the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A monthly
publication, it has been published continuously since 1948. PEDIATRICS is owned,
published, and trademarked by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point
Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, 60007. Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy
of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 0031-4005. Online ISSN: 1098-4275.
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